Pros and Cons
The Romans To be humble means to live modestly. Much of Roman art is not humble. For example, Roman architecture was built on a large scale and was highly intricate. There was much attention to detail and every last element had to be symmetrical and measured perfectly. The detail was also not restricted to the outside. The insides of Roman buildings were also very decorative, with many arches and semicircular alters(128 Text). Romans preferred to go big or go home. Their jewelry was very intricate and grand, as was much of their sculptures and paintings. Community is being among others and having companionship. There was a sense of community among the Romans, which is shown in the public baths. Bathhouses were very important in the Roman times because most houses did not have a bathing area. The people would have to get together and take baths. Other public spaces such as libraries and gyms also promoted companionship. The theater was also a place for the Romans to socialize and bond while they watch the drama unfold on stage. The stability of their society comes through by their architectural style. All of the Roman monuments had excellent bases, which the Romans meticulously planned out to the smallest detail, which shows their value of stability, even in the arts. Their architecture also shows how hard working they were because each monument took many years of planning and building for it took perfect. The Romans were not as creative as other societies. Instead, they preferred to use Greece as a base and build off of them. All of the Roman art forms were the product of the Greek and Roman ideas mixing together. However, the Romans did have vision. Rome took the Greek arts and improved them into what we know today as the Roman arts. The Chinese The architecture of the Han was rather humble in the way that they provided what the people needed. The planning was resourceful as the some parts could be used for multiple purposes. There was a practical heating system which also shows resourcefulness. However, their architecture was not very diverse. Most of the Chinese architecture looked similar, or at least had a similar style. The Chinese also did not have much stability, which shows in the way their art forms constantly changed. However, this constant change was also positive, because it shows that the Han had vision and they could achieve it by improving themselves each time. The Chinese were more creative than the Romans because most of their art forms are original to China. Even though their architecture was secular throughout China, it was still unique from the rest of the ancient world. Their calligraphy also shows that they were intellectual and hardworking. Nothing like Chinese calligraphy was ever seen before, it was completely original to China. Also, there were so many characters to memorize, that it truly shows how hard-working and dedicated they were in order to have created and learned such a skill. Chinese poetry also shows their regard for honesty. Confucian-Canon preferred to leave out all of the unnecessary detail and focus on showing the reader the truth and nothing but the truth. There was no exaggerations or stretches of the truth. Recommendation In conclusion, after carefully analyzing both the art forms of the Romans and the Chinese, we have decided that Rome is the better place for our people. Even though the Chinese do fit some of our values better, the Romans fit most of our values the best, especially after comparing both of their art. The Romans have proven that they were a stable, intellectual, hard-working, and curious society as a whole.